The fighting in Afghanistan is so intense that British gunners have fired twice as many artillery shells in Helmand since last June as were used to break resistance round Basra during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, The Herald can reveal.

The 105mm light gun batteries in the Southern Afghan province have expended 12,000 shells in support of troops fighting the Taliban compared to 6000 in the Gulf conflict and more than two-thirds of the 17,500 rounds fired in the Falklands War in 1982.

Figures prepared for the Ministry of Defence also show that the handful of UK infantry battalions in close combat with Taliban insurgents in Helmand province have used 2.7 million rounds of rifle and machine-gun ammunition in just 15 months.

An infantry soldier normally carries about 120 rounds when going into action and is under orders to use them sparingly.

The figures, which reflect the intensity of fighting, reveal that 1.6 million of the bullets came from medium GPMGs (general-purpose machine-guns) supplied to provide isolated troops in forward bases with extra firepower.

These 7.62mm bullets have longer range and more punch than the 5.56mm rifle rounds carried by infantry battalions.

From last October to the end of June this year, the Helmand task force's small contingent of Chinook transport helicopters, Apache gunships and Harrier jump-jets have burned almost 20 million gallons of aviation fuel flying close-support missions.

The fleet of Land Rovers, armoured vehicles and light trucks used for patrols and re-supply duties have used up another 756,000 gallons of diesel and 23,300 gallons of petrol.

Colonel Clive Fairweather, a former deputy commander of the SAS who also handled logistics for British forces in Germany during the Cold War, said yesterday: "That's a lot of firepower and fuel over a fairly limited period.

"What it demonstrates is that although we don't have enough boots on the ground in Afghanistan, the troops there are co-ordinating land, air and artillery assets to boost the military impact of their presence.

"The problem is that the only figures that matter in a counter-insurgency campaign are those of the enemy who lay down their arms and stop fighting and the number of civil projects completed to undermine the insurgents' grip on the population.

"You can kill 2000 Taliban and they'll still find replacements. The real trick is persuading 2000 of them to pack it in because they can see improvements in things like wells, medical care and schools.

"The dilemma is creating a security environment fast enough to allow noticeable improvement. As the Taliban leaders say, the British might have the watches, but we have the time'.

"They also know that they only have to inflict serious casualties once - by shooting down a helicopter filled with infantry, for instance - to jeopardise UK political commitment to the entire enterprise."

Britain has lost 82 men killed in Afghanistan since 2001, all but nine of them since last June, and 249 others have been wounded in action. Taliban dead are estimated at more than 1000.

Lieutenant-Colonel Charlie Mayo, who has just returned from a tour of Afghanistan as a Nato spokesman, said: "Fighting in the Green Zone' along the banks of the Helmand River is a bloody nightmare.

"The vegetation can grow up to 10ft tall and the area is criss-crossed with irrigation ditches and trenches. It's like fighting in the jungle. The Royal Anglians, who have just returned from the area, were fixing bayonets before going in to patrol it. It's close-range combat."